Eternity is a long time.
Living forever is a tragedy, as amazing as it sounds. Most end up leaving behind far more than they would ever gain, and most who do eventually succumb to the pain of loss and seclude themselves, desperate to avoid it’s pain.
It’s four hundred years after the events of our tale, and Spike and Thorax have gone for a hike.
The crunch of the dirt beneath Thorax’s hooves is a sound dwarfed by the thunder of Spike’s footsteps, the not-dragon having grown in relative proportion to a true dragon, as his natural shape was still much akin to one. Despite his titanic size, his presence alone calms the wildlife, allowing them to see the creatures as they come rather than watching as they flee. Thorax climbs up a small rock trying to better see the face of his husband.
“You should come down a little. I can barely see you.” Shouting wasn’t necessary, Thorax had long since learned that since Spike could hear his thoughts, talking more than amplified them enough for him to hear. Yelling was overkill. At his request, an angular, purple-grey dragon head came down from the canopy, wide, blank eyes staring at him. Despite the blank stare, the not-dragon was visibly sheepish as he asked:
“Sorry, should I go smaller?”
Thorax nodded. “It’d be nice. I can’t hug you well while you’re this big.” Spike nodded, and with a set of consecutive pops, the town block-sized not-dragon shrunk down to around the size of a large deer, now slightly more colorful, and small pupils visible in his eyes again. “It’s always so odd to see your pupils again.”
“Not unwelcome?” Thorax smiled, before leaning over and planting a kiss in between the not-dragon’s eyes.
“Not at all.” The two continued their walk along the trail, the cool, late summer, evening air a welcome companion as they walked side by side, taking a welcome respite from the day to day.
Thorax had been king for four hundred years, and with Pharynx and Spike’s help, he’d managed to turn the Changeling hive into the Changeling Kingdom, expanding into the Badlands and housing the newest occupants of their kingdoms. The Sprites.
Sprites were something that only Discord could’ve seen coming. The first sprite was the infamous Egg that came from an encounter between Spike and a changeling under the Static’s influence. A changeling on the much larger side, bearing wings and a tail similar to that of a dragonfly was what hatched from that egg, and Pharynx was quick to scoop the girl up and call her his own, having developed something akin to paternal instincts during his tenure as the egg’s caretaker. Then came the later Sprites. Changelings were still creatures of love, even long after the Metamorphosis, and as they spread out, they found love with practically any creature, from yaks, to dragons, to diamond dogs (who surprisingly seemed to attract all kinds), and most commonly, ponies. Spike’s innate magic turned love into life, and creatures that had truly fallen for each other routinely found eggs nestled in their rooms, appearing with a dull glow that echoed with the sound of crashing waves. That, combined with the boom in changeling population when they were no longer starving, caused the Hive to overflow, and over the course of two hundred years, the Hive became a palace, at the center of a sprawling kingdom built by a beloved changeling king.
And yet still, more had happened.
Discord and Fluttershy remain together to this day.
Turns out, immortality osmosis through the Elements of Harmony is a thing, and for the time being, Twilight and her friends remain the Council of Friendship, with Fluttershy and Discord as the other married couple besides Spike and Thorax, and the two spend any time where Fluttershy isn’t working to maintain harmony together, much like our Changeling and Dragon are doing now…
“The peak is up here!” Thorax trotted ahead grinning as though this wasn’t his favorite path to walk. Grinning as though he’d never seen this before, and he was anticipating something different from what he’d seen time and time again.
Then again, it was pretty amazing.
The sun was dipping below the horizon over a sea of birch trees, all centered around a lake, which shimmered with the light of the sunset as the two looked down on the enamoring sight, holding tight to each other as they sat on the edge.
“I love this place.” Thorax said dreamily. “This might be the only location I like more than Rainbow Falls.”
“Oh really?” Spike questioned. “I would’ve guessed this was your favorite.”
“No, it’s just that Rainbow Falls is so out of the way. It’s a hassle to go there and come back.” Spike gave him a sort of questioning look.
“I can teleport you know? We could go right now if you wanted.”
Thorax’s smile got just a little wider as he placed his head in the not-dragon’s lap. “Nah, maybe next weekend.”
Eternity is a long time.
Our protagonists are lucky, to say the least. They get to live forever without most of the pain. They get to stay together. I’ll admit, I’m envious. Though, I could join them if I so pleased.
...I wonder when Discord’s calendar might be open.